New Amex Shop Small program - earn 3 bonus points per $1 year-round

[louie-m]

"Additional Cards are not eligible for this offer". Makes it significantly less attractive for us.

 

[Coops1]

@Mattg Just read your article. Inclusion of payments thru SQUARE make a huge difference. Cheers for the heads up.

Post automatically merged: Apr 1, 2021

"Additional Cards are not eligible for this offer". Makes it significantly less attractive for us.

If you don't need to track/split spends, just add the main card to your phone wallet. Will be removing my supp from phone and adding partners main card.

 

[burmans]

Is this a serious question, change your practice to use your main card, isn't hard.

 

[drron]

Gee I never had any trouble using the shop small in Tassie though Launceston or Devonport.I would usually have maxed out after a week as most places I went to were in the shop small promotion.
I am happy with this one.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Anybody getting this offer on supps? On none of mine. Makes a difference to me as I use explorer supp linked to partners account. Will need to add the main card to my phone wallet.

Terms of the offer state:

'Additional Cards are not eligible for this offer.'

 

[Jurahn]

Gee I never had any trouble using the shop small in Tassie though Launceston or Devonport.I would usually have maxed out after a week as most places I went to were in the shop small promotion.
I am happy with this one.

I probably could if I went into Hobart on a regular basis, but I don't - maybe go into the city once or twice a year, and of the retailers that are anywhere near within striking distance of where we live, there are few very Shop Small participants and as previously mentioned, they're not businesses I need to purchase from either.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

I've received the Shop Small bonus on the primary cards that anchor each rewards membership only (e.g. on the Plat Charge which is why my MR is Ascent Premium, but then not on the Reserve or Edge primary which are attached to the same MR profile, plus on Velocity Platinum and Qantas Ultimate which are separate rewards profiles).

Interesting that the offer is '3 points' regardless of the rewards program. As I'm sure we all know, 3 MR points = 1.5 FF points, so the bonus is half as valuable on the MR range of cards than it is on the QFF/VFF cobrands.

Total earn rate on Shop Small transactions for me is as follows:

Qantas Ultimate: 4.25 QFF per $1 spent (1.25/$1 plus 3/$1 bonus)
Velocity Platinum: 4.25 VFF per $1 spent (" ")
Plat Charge: 5.25 MR per $1 spent (2.25 + 3) = 2.625 FF per $1 spent when divided by 2.

I'll be making an effort to use the QF/VA cards at small businesses going forward, but it's still nice to have the bonus saved to the Plat Charge also in case I forget, or for any surprise Shop Smalls...

 

[sudoer]

Yep, in addition to that, MR cards also get shafted by the 40k point limit applied across all card types.

 

[Dr Ralph]

RIP Amex Small Shop. This is a categorical disaster.

In previous Small Shop promos I went out of my way to use the available credits. The previous promo made me alter my spending habits and as a result I now shop at places that I likely never would have tried except for that promo. As it stands this promo will not alter my spending habits in any way.

Not making it available on supp cards is just odd. It sends a clear message that AMEX doesn't want people to use this promo.

 

[SOPOOR]

its as if Amex are trying their best to alienate/annoy/chase customers away

I personally doubt that I will make any use of small shop this year, 3 pts extra, ie 3% extra bonus points of hwich amex will probably devalue down the track is bread crumbs

not available on supp cards as well,

surprised others seem to be fairly keen on this offer

 

[cbourl]

its as if Amex are trying their best to alienate/annoy/chase customers away

I personally doubt that I will make any use of small shop this year, 3 pts extra, ie 3% extra bonus points of hwich amex will probably devalue down the track is bread crumbs

not available on supp cards as well,

surprised others seem to be fairly keen on this offer

I agree and I can access it on Amex Platr card, but a totally different card Amex rewards Advantage Card held for at least 20 yrs before i got the Platinum card doesnt show the offer - the cashback was better

 

[Chicken]

Set up your main card in Google Pay/Apple Pay

Yeah, this is going to be a problem.

1: I don't even have Google Pay.
2: It's such a pain having to unlock the phone when trying to pay, then start the app, blah blah, and my phone lock uses numbers instead of swiping (because my employer had taken over my phone using MS Intune)
3: I have my Opal card at the back of the phone. Using Google Pay means I could no longer have my Opal card stored there. Where am I going to store my Opal card?

Is this a serious question, change your practice to use your main card, isn't hard.

I use my main card in very limited circumstances.

I have found, from donkey years ago, that the account number is tied to the main card number, so if your main card is stolen, and they have to give you a new card number for your main card, (or for any other reason), then the whole account is closed, and you get issued a brand new account, everything gets a big reset. It's a complete PITA.

 

[sudoer]

2: It's such a pain having to unlock the phone when trying to pay, then start the app, blah blah, and my phone lock uses numbers instead of swiping (because my employer had taken over my phone using MS Intune)

You don't need to unlock your phone unless the purchase is above $100. The phone just needs to be awake. Typing some numbers into your lock screen isn't too different to typing a PIN number into the merchant terminal

3: I have my Opal card at the back of the phone. Using Google Pay means I could no longer have my Opal card stored there. Where am I going to store my Opal card?

Unless you are eligible for a concession or seniors fare, I don't believe there's any advantage to using an Opal card over Google Pay or other forms of contactless payment anymore. It used to be the case that only Opal users were eligible for the weekly discount and other benefits, but that has changed:

Contactless payments

Contactless is a quick and easy alternative way to pay for your trip on public transport in Sydney and surrounds if you don’t have an Opal card.

transportnsw.info

Use the same credit card, debit card or linked device for all your travel all week to receive the same travel benefits of an Adult Opal card.

The only potential issue with using a phone is if you run out of battery before/during your journey.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Unless you are eligible for a concession or seniors fare, I don't believe there's any advantage to using an Opal card over Google Pay or other forms of contactless payment anymore.

WISH card discount on Woolworths top ups of Opal card.

 

[LeeNClarkw]

Amex is changing its Shop Small program into a year-round offer where you can earn 3 extra points per $1 spent at participating small businesses, up to 40,000 points per year.

This is instead of the limited-time promos that used to run for a short time each year where you could get cashback by spending money at small businesses during the promo period.

AMEX Shop Small | Shop Small Australia | American Express AU

Shop Small is a movement dedicated to connecting Australian shoppers and the small businesses that help our local communities thrive. Learn more online now.

www.americanexpress.com

is this only to certain cardholders? I have previously supported the small business program but this time I didnt see this offer in my account. I only ever use AMEX if any business will accept over my Visa.

 

[Daver6]

Major benefit devaluation IMHO. The exclusion of supp cards especially.

 

[blacksultan]

I've received the Shop Small bonus on the primary cards that anchor each rewards membership only (e.g. on the Plat Charge which is why my MR is Ascent Premium, but then not on the Reserve or Edge primary which are attached to the same MR profile, plus on Velocity Platinum and Qantas Ultimate which are separate rewards profiles).

Interesting that the offer is '3 points' regardless of the rewards program. As I'm sure we all know, 3 MR points = 1.5 FF points, so the bonus is half as valuable on the MR range of cards than it is on the QFF/VFF cobrands.

Total earn rate on Shop Small transactions for me is as follows:

Qantas Ultimate: 4.25 QFF per $1 spent (1.25/$1 plus 3/$1 bonus)
Velocity Platinum: 4.25 VFF per $1 spent (" ")
Plat Charge: 5.25 MR per $1 spent (2.25 + 3) = 2.625 FF per $1 spent when divided by 2.

I'll be making an effort to use the QF/VA cards at small businesses going forward, but it's still nice to have the bonus saved to the Plat Charge also in case I forget, or for any surprise Shop Smalls...

Unless you apply for a US Amex MR card and transfer your MR there . Ask me how

 

[Infrequent traveller]

Thanks for the heads up on this offer @Mattg, just logged into my Amex account and saved it on my Essentials card.

I actually prefer this to the original Shop Small - whilst I made good use of those promotions when living in WA, now that we're in rural Tasmania it became almost impossible to take advantage of any Shop Small cashbacks as the only businesses participating in our area were ones that I never shopped at (and didn't need to buy anything from either). This will give me the opportunity to earn more points in many more places in Tassie and also if I'm travelling domestically on the mainland.

It appears the "SS Merchant" still has to be on the list?!

 

[Dave G]

Meh - not the end of the world - just about to spend $4k with someone on the list...
But Agree with Dr - no supps and not concentrated - far less incentive to change my spending habits.
This is just going to be an incidental bonus

 

[Jurahn]

It appears the "SS Merchant" still has to be on the list?!

Yes, that's correct, but now instead of being limited to (hardly any) Shop Small retailers in my local area over in a short timeframe, if I'm elsewhere in Tasmania or on the mainland over the next 12 months, I'd be able to utilise Shop Small if there are participating retailers in those locations.